Shopping mecca in the dark
[Xolile Bhengu] Sandton City Shopping Centre, one of the iconic centres in the country, was the hardest hit by Eskom's random load shedding in January.

More search marketing strategies for the next decade
[Matt Greitzer] This column examines ways search marketers are getting smarter about measuring success, and the implications this trend has on search marketing strategies in the future.

International fashion conference to hit the Mother City
Fashion Exchange +27, an essential business conference aimed at educating and elevating all role-players within the fashion industry in South Africa, will take place from 24 - 25 April 2008.


Limpopo project members in Japan for food expo
[Neville Maakana] Members of eight agro-processing projects in Limpopo are in Japan to take part in the annual food and beverage exhibition, Foodex.

Consumers to be educated on their rights
[Bathandwa Mbola] In a bid to create awareness about consumer rights, the National Credit Regulator (NCR) has announced March as Consumer Rights Month with special focus on credit and consumer protection mechanisms.

A tribute to Isabel Jones
[Chris Moerdyk] Isabel Jones was a person of immense passion. For consumer justice, for her family and for culinary creativity.

Consumer crusader Isabel Jones dies
Veteran consumer journalist and foodie Isabel Jones died in hospital this morning, Tuesday, 11 March 2008. She was admitted to the ICU at the weekend suffering from breathing problems and her condition deteriorated. She underwent open heart surgery in December 2007.

Hewlett Packard uses retirees for grassroots marketing
[The New York Times] Hewlett-Packard has galvanized thousands of its retirees into an auxiliary army of senior marketers, goodwill ambassadors and volunteer sales people. None are paid; they do it, they say, because of their affection for the company.

Online sales continue to boom
If January and February 2008 is anything to go by, the online retail industry is set to experience significant growth in the forthcoming months of 2008.

If software looks too good to be true, then it probably is
[Zweli Mokgata] Online shopping is picking up, as lower broadband prices allow more South Africans to gain access to the Internet. However, online shoppers are warned to be wary of counterfeit products being marketed online.

Shopping centre bolsters business boom in Blackheath
The development of a R400 million shopping centre in Blackheath is fuelling a business boom in the area and the City of Cape Town is partnering with local business to sustain economic growth.

AVI upbeat on earnings in tough market
[Nicola Mawson, Consumer Industries Correspondent] Although it expects trading conditions in the second half of the year to be more challenging, branded consumer goods company AVI remains confident.

Enthroning the e-shopper
Building brand loyalty has become a struggle for retailers; however, personalization has the potential to help them to enhance customer allegiance and differentiate their products in highly competitive markets. Though in an early stage of evolution at the moment, customized shopping experiences are expected to become more common as the e-commerce market's ongoing maturation continues.

Debt piles up as consumers get in too deep
[Nicola Mawson] As the rates hike and other costs consumers face… food, fuel, bonds etc… rise, the impact is being to be felt by clothing retailers that sell on credit.

Portals in an E-Commerce 2.0 world
"Social shopping sites are definitely already more semantic than general Web 2.0 sites," Wishpot CEO Max Ciccotosto told the E-Commerce Times. "They do a lot of interesting things with the concept of 'product'; they are able to scrape for this info, parse it, etc. They are filtered gateways."

Discounters set to claim half of German grocery sales
A combination of the 2007 VAT hike and the discounter boom that has spread like wildfire from grocery to other sectors is severely impacting Germany's retailing landscape, reveals a new report by Verdict Research, part of the Datamonitor Group.

FMCG ‘Footprint' urges review of wealth creation, sharing
The results of a critical study of global FMCG company Unilever's economic footprint in South Africa is expected to create the impetus for other multinationals and large businesses to reconsider how they create and share wealth.

Greenmarket traders support development plans
More than 100 traders have pledged their full support for the Cape Town's plans to develop Greenmarket Square into a world class tourist and market attraction. One of the developments discussed on Monday, 3 March, was the City's request to the traders to form a Greenmarket Square Trading Association whose main purpose would be to develop the market for the benefit of all traders.

New vehicle sales woes continue
Total new vehicle sales continued to slide in February to total 46,248, which is 12% down compared to the 52,526 sold during the same month last year. Taking account of sales not reported in detail the total aggregate declines by 13.5% according to figures released today (Tuesday, 4 March) by the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (NAAMSA).

Hyprop reports record payout
[Nick Wilson, Property Editor] Retail-focused Hyprop Investments reported a record 20% distributions increase for the year to December, to 270c a unit. It said yesterday that in the past 20 years it had delivered average distribution growth of 9,9% a year.

Exchanging real money in virtual worlds
From a payment point of view, money should be fundable and extractable from the virtual world at any point in time. Credit cards are usually used to convert real money into the virtual currency in order to fund the account. In addition, increasingly more Internet wallet type of payment instruments are used to fund virtual accounts.

Volvo meets customer 2.0
[Patrick Carmody] Volvo is widely recognised as one of only a few brands that have summited the Everest of Brand Positioning i.e. it has succeeded globally in owning a single-minded, relevant and sustainable idea in the mind of a valuable market segment. Well, a recent dysfunctional experience with the brand dismantled something that took over 50 years and millions of dollars to build. Albeit, in the mind of one customer.

E-marketers getting crafty in spam-flooded world
Overcoming inbox clutter is no small feat today, said Amy Black, president of DigitalFX, which operates the HelloWorld.com social networking site. It offers businesses the chance to use video e-mail, among other tools, to market themselves. "E-mails are commonplace, often ignored and in many cases dreaded." In contrast, she said, video e-mail is "one way to almost assure a message will be seen and heard."

Competition to challenge ghost traders
The call for entries is open for the JSE/Liberty Life Investment Challenge - the annual contest for students to create the best-performing virtual portfolio between March and September.

Relief for eThekwini ratepayers
[Gabi Khumalo] Every residential property under the eThekwini Municipality will be exempted from paying rates on the first R120,000, regardless of its market value. The move promises to put more money into property-owners' pockets, which in turn could boost their spend on consumables.

More South Africans make use of financial products
[FinMark Trust] Not only is the number of South Africans who make use of financial products growing, but the rate at which they are taking up these products is also increasing. The biggest winner in the product stakes has been the funeral sector, and particularly informal burial societies, which was the product to watch in 2007. This series of documents, courtesy of FinScope South Africa 2007, provides the key findings of the financial products sectors in South Africa.

A shot of teamwork chased with inspiration
[Nicola Mawson] With a little help from her friends, Sharon Keith has blazed a head-spinning path in the world of corporate branding.

Trolleys cut through the clutter
With the cost of traditional advertising skyrocketing and a glut of ads fighting for consumer attention, Metropolitan Health Group (MHG) has cut through the proverbial marketing clutter with their multi-functional branded vendor trolleys, recently launched in Adderley Street, Cape Town.


Liberty banking on UK malls
[Nick Wilson, Property Editor] UK-based property company is courting international retailers who might take space in the company's prime shopping centres.

Trueform boosts earnings
[Nicola Mawson, Consumer Industries Correspondent] The brand has increased headline earnings per share in a period other clothing retailers found the going tough.

Argent buys paint and ladder maker
Steel merchant takes a step costing R57m with the intention of boosting its range of products.

An Appletiser a day helps clean up the bay
For 10 years, Hout Bay, near Cape Town, has been caring for their environment with their recycling efforts. Recently, the 3 R's Recycling Group initiated yet another recycling project in the area and Appletiser committed to the project by sponsoring a total of 220 recycle bins to all the schools in Hout Bay.

Stellenbosch wine estate wins SABS award with a perfect rating
Stellenbosch-based Spier Wines has won flawless quality ratings in an audit conducted by the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS). The audits were conducted against standards set by the International Organisation for Standardization (ISO) and the British Retail Consortium (BRC).

It's all done with mirrors
[ActivRetail] Douglas Green Bellingham (DGB) has once again taken ownership of a vast majority of the TLC Nightlife washrooms for most of 2008, to make use of TLC's indoor billboards, Talking Frames and newly launched Mirror Media for popular brands, Tang Apple Sours and Jagermeister.


International calls just got cheaper
With more than two million users in South Africa, mig33 has launched a new prepaid calling card service that reduces the cost of international calls by up to 95%.


Iliad Africa aims for R5bn turnover
[Nicola Mawson, Consumer Industries Correspondent] Building materials retailer Iliad Africa is set to achieve turnover of R5bn in its next financial year after very good results.

Seeking direct marketing solutions in the US
The South African direct marketing landscape faces many difficulties not present in the broader global environment. Seeking solutions, Vikesh Roopchand, Primedia@Home's GM of Business Development, recently attended the Direct Marketing Association's conference and exhibition in Chicago, US.


Oily crisis could be over
Many people associate oily skin with the teenage years, but it's not – and while skin problems don't usually begin until around puberty, in some cases oily skin persists long after the matric dance has faded into memory. For some, the condition can last a lifetime.


Proven format pays off
[Sasha Planting] Massmart was unable to announce real sales growth exceeding 8% after 37 consecutive financial half-years of being able to do just that.

Italtile seals R700m empowerment deal
[Nicola Mawson, Consumer Industries Correspondent] Ceramic tiles, sanitary ware and bathroom accessories retailer hopes new deal will open doors.

Amazing… a new brand
Soekershof, private mazes & botanical gardens in South Africa, has finally launched a brand - and about about half of its visitors are related to the pharmaceutical/medical world, marketing/PR and IT-industries.


Retailer rolls out environmentally friendly signage and displays
Woolworths began using recyclable board for store signage and displays in 2006 and currently over 30% of the group's in-store signage is made from renewable raw materials and contains recycled fibres from post-industrial and post-consumer waste. The signage is a viable, ecological alternative to the standard plastic commonly used in signage.

AVI diluted EPS 96.9c vs 95c
Food processor AVI reported on Thursday, 6 March 2008, an increase of 2% in its diluted earnings per share for the six months ended 31 December 2007 to 96.9 cents.

Naturally yoghurt
Woolworths has recently reformulated its entire yoghurt range to ostensibly become the first in South Africa to offer a range made with only natural flavours and colours and containing no added preservatives and no artificial sweeteners.


New-view loos had them wondering
[ActivRetail] Female shoppers in upmarket Sandton City had to do a double-take in the ladies washroom when Joe Public executed a cleverly applied door wrap for client Italtile.


A package that lights up the shelf
About a year ago, when Jamie Leventhal was trying to convince big chain stores to stock his new line of shaving gels for young men, a buyer for Target asked a crucial question: How much would he spend on advertising? “I told him we would not spend a single dollar,” Leventhal said.

Taking up the Lapdesk Challenge
In participation of the Lapdesk Challenge, a public-private partnership that provides portable desks to learners, Old Mutual SA Retail Mass Market division is donating 60 000 lapdesks worth R3 million to 74 schools in all nine provinces.

SABMiller not funding Makoni's campaign
SABMiller is not supporting any political campaign in Zimbabwe and neither has this been under consideration.

SAB launches new brand
The South African Breweries (SAB) recently announced it would introduce new brand Skelter's Straight to the South African market. This follows the launch of brand variant Sarita Ruby Dry in January this year and a new peach variant of Brutal Fruit in November 2007.


Disney magic comes to Rand Show 2008
The world's leading entertainment brand is coming to the Rand Show 2008 at the Johannesburg Expo Centre, Nasrec from 21 March to 6 April 2008.

Gamers get their wish
Ster-Kinekor Games, the distributors of PlayStation hardware and software and PC software across South Africa again teamed up with TLC, washroom advertising experts, for the launch of various gaming titles.


Housing group's results soar
RBA Holdings Limited (RBA) has announced their maiden Annual Results, for the year period ending 31 December 2007, since listing on AltX in September 2007.

Anti-aging water flows into new areas
Aqua Bimini - an anti-ageing water which is formulated to work to protect your body at cellular level from the degenerative effects of day-to-day living and stress - has been listed in both Wellness Warehouse and Global Wrapps.


Parmalat South Africa launches new technical training programme - Parmalat SA
Given its long-standing commitment to human capital development, Parmalat South Africa has introduced a comprehensive new technical training programme, which has at its core the skills development of Parmalat's technical employees.

Golden Kaan makes new appointment: Executive Brand Ambassador South Africa - KWV Limited
On 1 February 2008, the Golden Kaan Company appointed Sharon Mason as Executive Brand Ambassador for Golden Kaan to manage this successful brand in its home market, South Africa, and on the African continent.

Re-introducing one of the world's finest vodkas - Cornucopia Industries
70-year-old Polish Master Distiller of Pravda Vodka, Aleksandra (Ola) Kulak, visited South Africa this week to share her knowledge with the media in Cape Town and Johannesburg.

Simple, trendy - and value for money
When dining out, today's consumer demands value for money - whether it's a very up-market restaurant or an establishment providing simpler fare. So says Joep Schoof, consultant for Pam Golding Commercial's (PGC) specialised Restaurant Division.


Calling all aspiring chefs
The 2008 Sunday Times Food Awards, which this year include a new category, are accepting entries, so get yours in now!

Ole! It's Spain in a can – or Africa, if you like. Yebo!
Want to prepare a traditional meal with a spicy African or Spanish twist? With All Gold's new African and Spanish Style Diced Tomatoes, you can spice up your meals in no time. Crammed full of flavour and quality ingredients, these new flavours have been crafted to add zest to your casseroles, salads, stews and even paellas with no effort at all.

What's hot around the globe – insights on household products 2007
[Nielsen] This survey, which covers 61 markets across five regions around the world, accounting for more than 85% of the world's GDP and over 70% of the world's population, focuses on categories that contain products used around the home to keep it clean and running smoothly. Examples include dish, laundry and hand detergents; brooms, brushes and mops; bleaches and disinfectants; batteries; and plastic and aluminium wraps and bags.

The green voice of reason
"Voice of the Green Consumer" survey results show that environmental issues increasingly impact consumer buying decisions across major product categories. Companies of all types need to understand and plan for these changing buyer behaviors.

Behavioural analytics: The why and how of e-shopping
By determining the behavioral preferences of the customers coming to their store, e-marketers can align language and behavior of the Web site to provide those customers with the best shopping experience, one that feels tailored for them. Similarly, outbound marketing and traffic generation activities can be aligned.

To everything there is a season
[Bill McCloskey] Bill McCloskey writes of the US experience of email drives around special days in the calendar and reckons the trick is to co-ordinate the drive with when interest peaks.

Brits lead in per-head spend on fair-trade products
From its humble beginnings in the 1950s, fair-trade has developed into a global movement. A new report by independent market analyst Datamonitor, ‘The Next Step in The Ethical Consumer Revolution', reveals fair-trade sales across Europe, the US, Australia & New Zealand and Japan have experienced double digit growth since 2002.

New media an important place to be seen
The most recent BIGresearch Simultaneous Media Survey shows that, while traditional media still rank on top in the influence of purchases, many are declining in influence and some are showing double-digit losses over the previous year.

Survey pegs cellphone as most valued tech tool in US
Cellphones are valued by more Americans than TV or the Internet, according to a study from the Pew Internet & American Life Project.

Distiller invests in leading-edge sensory laboratory
Distell is priming its palate for increased business with a world-class sensory laboratory that benchmarks new and established products against competitor offerings on local and international markets.


New product messages aren't getting through
[Aaron Baar] Let's put it this way: if US manufacturers want their new products to be memorable, they're going to have to do a whole lot better. So how do we rate here is SA?

The perception game
If you want to talk about the return that your product or service can deliver when used correctly, by all means do so, but don't expect that to be enough. When you boil that message down, what you are left with is, "Buy our product because it's so cheap it pays for itself in no time." That kind of messaging might be alluring to many, but it is the first step on a very slippery slope to a price war.

Connecting with consumers on a social level
The popularity of social networking has grown dramatically over the past few years. MySpace, Facebook and LinkedIn currently offer advertisers access to over 160 million active users in total. New research based on Dynamic Logic's AdReaction 2007 study, which measures consumer perceptions of various forms of advertising in the US and across parts of Europe, suggests that these social networking Web sites present a unique platform where brands can connect with consumers.

Housing, transport dominate household spending
[Michael Appel] South Africans are spending close to 60% of total household expenditure on food, housing and transport.

More Black women in the US marketplace
Miriam Muley, CEO of The85%Niche, and previously Executive Director of Diversity Growth Markets at GM, has authored a recent paper describing opportunities to serve "a vital source of incremental business (that) has waned in recent years."

Social media marketing's disease: No follow-through
[Sarah Mahoney] Social media can be a powerful marketing force, but a new study from OneUpWeb finds that companies can easily make mistakes that alienate potential customers, or worse, simply fail to follow through with new content.

Surprising (to some) facts about women-owned businesses
Calling South Africa's businesswomen... How do you rate against your counterparts in other parts of the world?

Opportunity knocks
[Bizcommunity.com Staff Reporter] 2010 offers a wide range of business opportunities, and franchising could hold the key to opening and facilitating many of them.

Franchising a hot topic in entrepreneurial circles this week
Almost 500 franchised systems currently operate in South Africa. They produce 12.5% of GDP and 87% of them represent local brands. Surprisingly, a third of SA's franchises are non-foods systems, with the biggest growth areas being service-based and mobile or “man-in-a-van” concepts.

Chain opens doors to franchisees
[ActivRetail] Kauai has embarked on an aggressive growth plan that includes opening 20 franchises over the next year.

Consumers urged to support paraffin campaign
[Nthambeleni Gabara] The Paraffin Safety Association is urging all household energy consumers to support its consumer rights campaign which calls for government to formulate and implement the Low Income Household Energy Safety Policy.

Lactogen infant formula recalled
Nestle has recalled a batch of Lactogen infant formula that may contain higher amounts of iron, zinc and copper than declared on the label, the company said yesterday, Tuesday, 11 March 2008.

Cancer-causing chemical found in some organic products
[Los Angeles Times] Many well-known "natural" and "organic" products - including items in the Kiss My Face, Alba, Seventh Generation and Nature's Gate lines - contain a cancer-causing chemical that is a byproduct of petrochemicals used in manufacturing, according to test results released by the Organic Consumers Assn.

SA strengthens relations with Europe
[Michael Appel] South Africa has undertaken to further strengthen bilateral relations with Bulgaria, a country viewed as the gateway to eastern Europe.

Revised Capital Feasibility plan to increase SA's exports
The revised Capital Projects Feasibility Programme, which is intended to facilitate feasibility studies, will increase South Africa's exports, stimulate growth for the local capital goods and services sector and allied industries.

Toyota SA to export cars to 40 destinations
Toyota South Africa will export 147,000 vehicles to more than 40 destinations in Europe and on the African continent in the course of 2008. This represents about 60% of the total vehicles exported from South Africa this year.

Southern Africa: Region looks towards Zimbabwe's power plants
In a move that could alleviate Southern Africa's struggle to cope with the growing demand for electricity, while helping Zimbabwe with its chronic shortage of foreign exchange, neighbouring countries have proposed recapitalising some power stations and coal mining.

Supply chain player announces significant international acquisitions
Barloworld Logistics, supply chain management subsidiary of industrial multinational Barloworld, has announced a major growth initiative by acquiring Dubai-based Swift Group and its affiliates in the Far East, India, UAE, Africa and Germany.

Kei rail - road to economic expansion
[Bathandwa Mbola] The newly unveiled Kei Railway Project, which is set to create over 29,000 jobs in the Eastern Cape, is also expected to open up economic opportunities for the area.

Get those nominations in, says Amy
Amy Kleinhans-Curd, former Miss South Africa and director of Dial A Teacher, an organisation that assists students telephonically with their homework and research, is encouraging nominations in the education category of the Shoprite Checkers / SABC 2 Woman of the Year Award.


Do you know these women?
The search for South Africa's most inspiring and outstanding women in 2008 is underway and the entire nation now has the opportunity to submit nominations for one of the nation's most prestigious awards for women.


Reza returns, Reza sharp
Celebrity chef Reza Mahammad, whose flamboyant style attracted thousands of fans to last year's inaugural Sunday Times Food Show, returns to this year's show, which promises to be even bigger and better in 2008.

US brewer launches first-of-its-kind loyalty program
[Mike Beirne] US brewer, Miller Brewing, claims it has created the first loyalty program of its kind for the beer category, which allows consumers to earn redeemable points when they purchase specially marked packs of beer.

Calling mom-to-be
[ActivRetail] Nampak made use of ComutaNet's media platforms to bring the Cuddler's promise to moms and moms-to-be across South Africa. The multi-level campaign used advertisements on rank TV, in-queue promotions and exterior taxi advertising.


Make music, maestro…
IBM invites musicians to compose songs about South Africa using internet technology.

Playing with words for a brighter future
Liberty Promenade Shopping Centre, a 51,000m² shopping centre situated in the heart of Mitchells Plain and visited by an average of 1 million customers per month, is owned by Liberty Group, well known for encouraging and sponsoring educational aspirations.

A smart move
The launch of the new Smart fortwo sees Wideopen Platform taking a leading role in its fully integrated advertising campaign.


Seeing double in the Swartland
Celebrating its 60th year of winemaking excellence, Swartland Winery has produced the convenient 'Handy Pack' - a single carry box with two Swartland wines, the popular Dry Red and Premier Grand Cru. This package-saving innovation was conceived by Catapult, the same advertising agency that conceptualised the winery's well-received 'Buy 3 get one free' promotional pack. The 4 litre (2 x 2L) Handy Pack will be available at selected Pick n Pay stores from end March 2008 at the recommended retail price of R64.99.

Send in the clones – with two veg on the side
[Francois Rank] South Africa has no laws that prevent the sale of food products from cloned animals.

The party's over
[Eddie Botha] The Spar owner at the centre of a consumer storm last week is in trouble again, this time after State liquor officials raided his bottle store.

Deal curbs Homemark hard-sell tactics
[Chantelle Benjamin] Consumers who were duped into paying postage for Homemark products they did not order will now have protection.

Choose a CRM system that matches your business' needs
[Vikki Bland] As a business process aided by technology, CRM is growing up. Most small businesses realise customer relationship management is about more than simply tracking customer contacts, and most CRM vendors now know a "one-size-fits-all" CRM system usually doesn't deliver what businesses need.

More shopping malls go Bluetooth with Stan Katz
JSE-listed property loan stock company Growthpoint has recently signed a contract with MobiBlitz, cofounded by radio veteran Stan Katz, to install interactive Bluetooth hotspots (Mobizones) in all of their shopping malls, totalling some 72 nationally. Twenty of these have now been completed, with another 10 to follow shortly.

Creating virtually unique fashions online
"Buying made-to-measure clothing online is quite popular worldwide today. In the near future, we will also be able to give women the option of tailoring items to ensure a perfect fit according to their specific body measurements, rather than just ordering according to one uniform size," said Iris Ben-David, CEO and founder of StyleShake.

The building blocks of contact centre consolidation
[Alan Hubbard] Contact consolidation is not for the lighthearted. For years, contact centre management has been attempting to control costs by reducing the number of agents, physical sites and consolidating software and hardware solutions. Often these attempts are in conflict with customer and corporate demands. So, how do we increase contact centre availability? Improve customer satisfaction? Reduce operational costs?

Enthroning the e-shopper
[Paul Korzeniowski] E-commerce suppliers face a difficult challenge. They must cultivate loyal customers, but that is becoming more difficult as the Internet enables consumers to roam freely from retailer to retailer. Now more than ever, the customer is in control, and that change is forcing many e-tailers to turn to customised shopping experiences to build brand loyalty.

2008 ASATA Awards to recognise individual excellence
In travel, it is important to recruit good talent, develop it, retain it and recognise it.

Driving innovation in retail with SOA
Service-oriented architecture (SOA) is not just a technical approach to building, integrating and delivering software systems. It's an initiative that will have impacts on IT processes (planning, project management, design, development, deployment, operations, and change management) and on the IT organization (bodies that have responsibility and authority to drive service reuse, manage quality issues and collaborate with business teams).

Bluetooth marketing three years on
[Petros Kondos] Late 2005 saw the first malls in South Africa go live with Bluetooth as location-based marketing communication medium. The idea is to use Bluetooth to communicate relevant retail and mall communications to accepting customers' cellphones.

Top contact centre outsourcers revealed
Report reveals the firms that have proven themselves to be among the leaders in providing contact centre outsourcing services.

A little imagination goes a long way... - Right Stuff
The Linear Stand is a dynamic display system which can be set up in a variety of configurations to achieve the desired effect. It is the next generation of showroom stands, doubling as a banner display as well as a product holder.

It's refrigeration, but is it art?
Buying a commercial fridge used to be a dull job when it came to choosing the finish. Like Henry Ford, the suppliers would offer 'any finish you like, so long as it's stainless steel'. Now British manufacturer Precision has developed a range of commercial cabinets that look exciting but are every bit as tough and hygienic as the traditional type.

British consumers love their supermarkets – but not only for food
More people than ever before in the UK, are shopping at supermarkets for items other than food, reveals new research from Verdict Consulting, a specialist division of Verdict Research reveals.

How SA companies can beat the world's best
The 2008 edition of South Africa's most authoritative supply-chain research study, being released today, reveals that SA companies making the right moves to cope with global complexity in their supply chains, as well as ensuring they have the right skills and capabilities on board to do so, are up to six times more profitable than their competitors and peers.

Emerging farmers go nuts over donation
[Nthambeleni Gabara] Local emerging farmers have been given a shot in the arm with the donation of seedlings by Macadamia enterprise, Mununzwu Newco.

Factory gate prices in at 10.4%
[Michael Appel] The Production Price Index (PPI) came in at 10.4% year-on-year (y/y) in January, reported Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) on Thursday, 6 March 2008.

SEO tricks of the trade
Inbound linkage to your site is extremely important, but it must be done correctly. What is correctly? First and foremost, avoid link exchanges and other free-for-all link reciprocation schemes -- including a "links" page or "resources" page in which anybody can join. Only link to sites you personally know, and keep these to a minimum.

Effective technology critical as automotive operators weather tough market conditions
Operators within the automotive industry face the prospect of trade within a turbulent market and acknowledge the importance of strategic technology solutions. So claims Callie Human, executive director at eliance, a national provider of comprehensive business solutions targeting the automotive sector.

Hands-free chatting through the Parrot
Smart Automotive Components (SMAC) introduces the Parrot PMK5800, an installation-free alternative to over-the-speaker hands-free car kits.


Pioneer pulls plug on plasmas
Japan's Pioneer announced on Friday, 7 March 2008, that it will stop making plasma panels amid intense competition and will instead outsource the production of plasma panels for its television sets.

Reports: RFID ripe for supply chain
[Erika Morphy] Many organisations are considering RFID as a means of business process improvement, enabling a more visible and effective supply chain and better tracking of corporate assets, notes a report from ABI Research. RFID technology reliability - and its business case - can top cost as the leading consideration.

Software thieves are robbing us
[Alastair de Wet] Like ripples in a pond, the effects of software piracy are felt throughout the South African information technology (IT) distribution channel.

Green IT: Behind the buzzwords
Replacing or upgrading infrastructure components is a leading strategy of the best performing companies for increasing the efficiency of the data center. Older components are far more likely to use more power and require more cooling than newer components because manufacturers are designing components with energy efficiency in mind.

Slide into style with the new T303
Sony Ericsson has unveiled the T303, a compact slider phone that's been given the high-end treatment with a mirrored screen, metal housing and chrome finish, without a hefty price tag.


Online image a key factor
Pick n Pay takes top spot in the best investor relations website awards.

Best practices for unsubscribing
This article relates to the United States, but it has lessons too for South African website owners.

What's in store for SOA in 2008?
In 2008, a growing number of SOA deployments will start to adopt open source, such as messaging and service enablement SOA products, and investigate one or more of the cloud-based services available. It also seems likely that SOA deployments will start to adopt some of the newer products based on the large Web site scale out techniques to increase performance, scalability and reliability.

Japan leads robot revolution
[Hiroko Tabuchi] Robots are already taken for granted in Japanese factories, so much so that they are sometimes welcomed on their first day at work with Shinto religious ceremonies. Robots make sushi. Robots plant rice and tend paddies.

Nine Inch Nails creeps out music labels with free 'Ghosts'
[Keith Regan] In the latest sign the music distribution business continues to be roiled by change, Nine Inch Nails has released its new album in a variety of formats, including giving part of it away on file-sharing technologies such as BitTorrent.

Gaming expo sets dates
The sixth annual technology and gaming expo, rAge 2008, will take place in Johannesburg, 3 – 5 October 2008, at the Coca-Cola dome in Northgate, Johannesburg. It is positioned to take advantage of pre-Christmas sales and marketing campaigns; for example, Microsoft used rAge as the venue for the South African launch of the Xbox 360 in 2006, and The Core Group chose the expo for the Nintendo Wii's first public appearance in SA in 2007.

One year, three graduate classes
Gallagher Estate Conference & Exhibition Centre celebrated a year of training and upliftment success with the graduation of its 3rd intake of in-house trained and certified Food & Beverage Service Personnel.


Property group invests millions in agent training
Over the next three years the Pam Golding Property (PGP) group will invest in excess of R30 million in training all its agents.


Learn to trust...
Dr Karen Stephenson, an internationally-renowned social network theorist and corporate anthropologist, says the emerging field of network analysis has not yet been ‘commoditised' for the business education market. She believes forward-thinking South African managers should learn how to recognise and make use of the webs of relationships and trust within their organisations.


CDC secures funding for its skills programme
[Luyanda Makapela] The Coega Development Corporation has signed a cooperation agreement with the Food and Beverages SETA which will see the opening of 150 apprenticeships and learnerships in the electrical and mechanical engineering trades.